Author Webpage

In the meantime, while you're here, pull up a chair, pour yourself a cup of coffee or a cuppa tea, have a piece of pie and always feel free to speak your mind, and your heart, here at Meanderings and Muses.

Friday, March 25, 2011

I'm Getting Rounder by the Day

I am not a person who enjoys exercise.

I have never been a person who thought exercise was fun.

I don't recall ever running in my life unless it was away from something - like a bee. Or a snake. I remember jumping up onto the bed one time when I saw a mouse.

So, obviously, I was not what you could call an athletic child. Did it matter to me if I didn't get chosen to be on a team. Pfft. Not in the least. I could sit and watch. Or daydream. Or read (surprise!).

Even without exercise, I was the skinniest kid you've ever seen. Pitiful.

My parents fretted about my weight, and my mom asked our family doctor, Dr. Wolf, what to do to "put some meat on those bones" of mine. His first answer was not to worry about it, but because she just couldn't let it go, he suggested a couple of things. Black Strap Molasses. Yum. One of my favorite things is still buttered toast and molasses. The other thing he recommended was milkshakes. So my dad would stop at the Dairy Queen on Sunburst Highway every day on his way home from work and bring home a milkshake. A big one. Yum. Needless to say, I'm still a big fan of milkshakes.

Problem is the word big.

I seem to be getting bigger by the minute.

Since I stayed so skinny as a child, and never had to watch my weight until fairly recently, I never learned how to enjoy exercise. Join a gym?! yech. And I never really learned how to count calories either. Carbs? SO over my head.

I was blessed with the fact that if I wanted to sit down with a pack of Oreos and a huge glass of milk, I could do it and never give it a thought.

Spaghetti? Sure! Give me a second helping, please and another piece of that garlic bread. Yum.

Well, things change.

When I was in my 40's my mom and I decided we needed to drop a few pounds. So we joined Jenny Craig, and we did lose the weight we wanted to. And I kept that weight off for a few years I'm happy to say. But I was right back to eating whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted.

When we moved to Boone I started losing weight. It was a combination of things. I was excited about our move. I was nervous about our move. It had been a stressful few months with Donald being in Boone while I stayed in Georgia trying to sell the house. My reaction to all this was the opposite of most peoples'. Instead of eating, I seemed to just lose my appetite.

Then when I finally got to Boone and we moved into our new house, I was spending my days moving and unpacking boxes. Moving furniture around. And just forgetting to eat. Then one day I went to see my Mom and she made a comment about how skinny I had gotten. I was surprised, 'cause I honestly hadn't noticed. But when I got home I got on the scales.

Whoa.

I had gotten skinny. Too skinny.

I knew immediately, of course, that I was deathly ill. Terminal. (Donald says I read too many books). So without saying a word to anyone, I just started sneaking into town every day while Donald was at work and buying myself a milkshake. A big one.

Well, of course - I'm still here - no terminal illness. But no more milkshakes either.

Waaahhhhhh.

Since then, I've joined Jenny Craig again. I've gone to Weight Watchers. And I've lost the same 10 pounds about a hundred times. But now I need to lose more like 15 pounds.

So, I've stopped with the Oreos (again), and haven't had spaghetti in Lord knows when. Chicken. We eat a lot of chicken. Plain chicken. Grilled on our George Foreman grill. Yogurt. I eat a lot of yogurt. I can't even talk about how boring my diet is. Am I losing a pound? No.

So I've started walking.

This has turned into a good thing, something I'm enjoying a lot.

We have a creek that runs around two sides of our property. It's pretty and it sounds pretty. We have a big ol' pond and it's pretty too. All this prettiness makes for nice walks.

Harley romps around with me when I take my walks.

Harley enjoys them, I enjoy them and do one good walk every single day and most days, two.

Have I lost any weight.

no.

Not an ounce.

I just keep getting rounder and rounder.

Is a gym in my future? oh jeeeeez . . . .

I guess I'm going to eat my words AGAIN. You have no idea how many times I've said how much I hated gyms and exercise classes.

(maybe that's where all this weight is coming from. Continually eating my words. You think?!).

Kaye - I feel your pain. Truly. I was the third kid in my grammar school to break 100 pounds, and while there have been times in my life when I have been, er, less overweight than others, I've never quite fallen into the "normal weight" category.

I'd offer a helpful suggestion, but I don't believe I qualify as an expert. Drink your 8 glasses of water (or whatever they're saying is the correct amount these days) and keep enjoying your walks with Harley. If nothing else, you're keeping him svelte!

Julia - I'm beginning to feel the same way!! I've pretty much stopped doing all the baking I once was (and miss it!). But these days, all I have to do is pick up my little Pound Cake Cookbook by Bibb Jordan and my jeans are too tight.

If life were fair we wouldn't have to worry about calories and "stuff."

You know - you are absolutely right. The safeness really does need to stay in the forefront of consideration, doesn't it?!

And, frankly, as we get older (I do forget I'm 62 years old), it's more of a consideration than it once was.

Fad diets can be dangerous, and so can the wrong type of exercise. I'm going to continue the walking, and try to increase it in small increments. And add my water like Jonathan suggested. If things don't improve, I'll decide what's next, but with a little professional guidance, I think.

Well, Kaye, unless you do an awesome Photoshop job on your pictures I'd say you are looking fabulous. But I think you're smart to "get yourself in hand" when it's ten pounds or so before it becomes really daunting. Unfortunately, I have to take myself and my ten pounds in hand virtually every spring. Good luck!

Kaye, we truly were sisters in some past life. I, too, hate exercise in all forms. I have an ex-boyfriend from my 20s, now a friend, who hold the distinction of being the only person to ever see me run--briefly. I didn't break 100 lbs until I was 28 years old.

Boy, are those days gone! I married, gained weight; divorced, gained weight; joined WW, lost 71 lbs; got tired of depriving myself; gained more weight than I'd lost and that's where I am now.

Unfortunately, because of hip and disk problems in my back, doing much walking isn't an option for me. So I try to eat mindfully, drink water, stay healthy, and accept that what is, is, and just be grateful for each and every day.

IT'S ALL RELATIVE

WOMEN'S SPACES WOMEN'S PLACES

CLOTHES LINES from 75 Western North Carolina Women Writers

CLOTHES LINES from 75 Western North Carolina Women Writers

I'm a lover of words and a lover of images.

The photos you see in the blog posts were mostly shot by me or by husband Donald. Or, they're old family photos - a lovely little benefit of being a part of families who recognized the beauty of preserving our history through photography.

If the photos are not ours, I have tried whenever possible to caption or link the photos to their source. This hasn't always been possible as there are a lot of uncredited images available through the internet.

My sincere thanks to the generosity of so many talented photographers who so graciously share their work for so many of us to enjoy, share and learn from.

IF you see a photo here that is a copyright infringement, please send me an email (barleykw @ appstate dot com) and I'll remove it immediately.

Books Read

Every year I promise myself I'm going to keep a log of books I'm reading. And I immediately forget. Then I remember again, but only after I've already read a few books, but can't be sure I'll remember them all and so - - can't bring myself to start the list. It's sort of like missing the first 30 minutes of a movie. I just can't watch it if I've missed the beginning. And being the anal ol' soul I am, I can't bring myself to start a list if I can't be sure it's going to be a complete one.So.I decided to keep a list during 2010 and found it to be a fun thing. Especially for a compulsive list-maker like myself.

A WELL-BEHAVED WOMAN: A NOVEL OF THE VANDERBILTS by Therese Anne Fowler (ARC)

The Bar Harbor Retirement Home for Famous Writers (And Their Muses) by Terri-Lynne DeFino (ARC)

UNDER MY SKIN by Lisa Unger (ARC)

NOVEMBER ROAD by Lou Berney (ARC)

SUMMER ON THE RIVER by Marcia Willett (ARC)

BRING ME BACK by B. A. Paris

DIARY OF A BOOKSELLER by Shaun Bythell

GOOD SAM by Dete Meserve

THE SPACE BETWEEN by Dete Meserve (ARC)

THE REALIST: A Novel of Berenice Abbott by Sarah Coleman

IMPOSTOR'S LURE by Carla Neggers (ARC)

PARIS ECHO by Sebastian Faulks (ARC)

REMEMBRANCE OF THINGS PARIS: SIXTY YEARS OF WRITING FROM GOURMET edited by Ruth Reichl

VISIBLE EMPIRE by Hannah Pittard

THE ART OF INHERITING SECRETS by Barbara O'Neal ( ARC)

THE PARIS APARTMENT by Juliet Gauvin

THE LONDON FLAT by Juliet Gauvin

THE IRISH COTTAGE by Juliet Gauvin

THE THINGS WE DON'T SAY by Ella Carey (ARC)

THE VERY PICTURE OF YOU by Isabel Wolff

BY INVITATION ONLY by Dorothea Benton Frank

NO GOOD ASKING by Fran Kimmel (ARC)

THE SUMMER NANNY by Holly Chamberlin (ARC)

A COLLAR FOR CERBERUS by Matt Stanley (ARC)

THE CLOCKMAKER'S DAUGHTER by Kate Morton (ARC)

SLEEPING IN THE GROUND by Peter Robinson

TRUST ME by Hank Phillippi Ryan (ARC)

THE FRENCH FOR CHRISTMAS by Fiona Valpy

THE FRENCH FOR LOVE by Fiona Valpy

THE FRENCH FOR ALWAYS by Fiona Valpy

THE BEEKEEPER'S PROMISE by Fiona Valpy (ARC)

WHITE HOUSES by Amy Bloom (ARC)

THE SCRAPBOOK OF FRANKIE PRATT by Caroline Preston

THE RED NOTEBOOK by Antoine Laurain

THE GUILTY DEAD by P. J. Tracy (ARC)

THE MURALIST by B. A. Shapiro

THE ART FORGER by B. A. Shapiro

THE NIGHTINGALE by Kristin Hannah

PARIS MENDS BROKEN HEARTS by Kaya Quinsey

THE GREAT ALONE by Kristin Hannah

APRIL IN PARIS, 1921 by Tessa Lunney (ARC)

THE ITALIAN PARTY by Christina Lynch (ARC)

THE SILVER SHOES by Jill G. Hall (ARC)

THE DEATH OF MRS. WESTAWAY by Ruth Ware (ARC)

THE MASTERPIECE by Fiona Davis (ARC)

THE RAIN WATCHER by Tatiana de Rosnay (ARC)

LESS: A NOVEL by Andrew Sean Greer

THE LOST FOR WORDS BOOKSHOP by Stephanie Butland (ARC)

LULLABY ROAD by James Anderson

OUR PARIS: SKETCHES FROM MEMORY by Edmund White

IN THE SHADOW OF 10,000 HILLS by Jennifer Haupt (ARC)

SHORECLIFF by Ursula DeYoung

HALF A MIND by Wendy Hornsby

NO HARM by Wendy Hornsby

THE BOOKSHOP OF YESTERDAYS by Amy Meyerson (ARC)

The Portrait of Molly Dean by Katherine Kovacic (ARC)

The Art of the Wasted Day by Patricia Hampl

TEXT ME WHEN YOU GET HOME by Kayleen Schaefer

TIN MAN by Sarah Winman (ARC)

THE PARAMOUR'S DAUGHTER by Wendy Hornsby

IN THE GUISE OF MERCY by Wendy Hornsby

77th Street Requiem by Wendy Hornsby

BAD INTENT by Wendy Hornsby

MIDNIGHT BABY by Wendy Hornsby

MY EXAGGERATED LIFE - PAT CONROY by Katherine Clark

BEACH HOUSE REUNION by Mary Alice Monroe (ARC)

TELLING LIES by Wendy Hornsby

THE HANGING by Wendy Hornsby

THE COLOR OF LIGHT by Wendy Hornsby

NUMBER 7, RUE JACOB by Wendy Hornsby (ARC)

TANGERINE by Christine Mangan (ARC)

THE CAST by Amy Blumenfeld (ARC)

SAILING LESSONS by Hannah McKinnon (ARC)

THE BISHOP'S PAWN by Steve Berry (ARC)

COLD GRAVE by Craig Robertson

SNAPSHOT by Craig Robertson

RANDOM by Craig Robertson

THE PHOTOGRAPHER by Craig Robertson

PARIS EVER AFTER by KSR Burns (ARC)

THE HOUSE ON HARBOR HILL by Shelly Stratton (ARC)

SUNBURN by Laura Lippman

MIDNIGHT RIOT by Ben Aaronovitch

WHAT HAPPENED THAT NIGHT by Sandra Block (ARC )

NOT THAT I COULD TELL by Jessica Strawser (ARC)

THE HIGH TIDE CLUB by Mary Kay Andrews (ARC)

THE WESTERN STAR by Craig Johnson

MY PARIS DREAM by Kate Betts

PARIS FOR ONE by Jojo Moyes

THE POSSIBLE WORLD by Liese O'Halloran Schwarz (ARC)

SULFUR SPRINGS by William Kent Krueger

THURSDAY'S CHILD by Joseph Wurtenbaugh

THE MEMORY OF LEMON by Judith Fertig

GIVE ME YOUR HAND by Megan Abbott (ARC)

A NANTUCKET WEDDING by Nancy Thayer (ARC)

DARK IN DEATH by J.D. Robb

AFTER NIGHTFALL by A. J. Banner (ARC)

THE HIGH SEASON by Judy Blundell (ARC)

YEAR ONE by Nora Roberts

LOVE AND RUIN by Paula McLain (ARC)

GO ASK FANNIE by Elisabeth Hyde (ARC)

THE SOMETIMES SISTERS by Carolyn Brown (ARC)

HOW IT HAPPENED by Michael Koryta (ARC)

THE PIANO SHOP ON THE LEFT BANK by Thad Carhart

HALF MOON BAY by Alice LaPlante (ARC)

THE REUNION by Samantha Hayes (ARC)

PARIS STILL LIFE by Rosalind Brackenbury (ARC)

THE POT THIEF WHO STUDIED EDWARD ABBEY by J. Michael Orenduff (ARC)

CAME BACK TO SHOW YOU I COULD FLY by Robin Klein

RARE OBJECTS by Kathleen Tessaro

SOUVENIR (object lessons) by Rolf Potts (ARC)

DEAD HOUSE by Billy O'Callaghan (ARC)

"A" is for Alibi by Sue Grafton

BELLMAN & BLACK: A NOVEL by Diane Setterfield

FTC Disclosure Notice

FTC has a regulation which went into effect in December, 2009 which says, basically - "Amateur Bloggers to Disclose Freebies or Be Fined." Significantly fined. So. Since I happen to be an amateur blogger who sometimes receives free books, here's my required FTC Disclosure Notice: Dear FTC - Regarding review copies of books obtained for this blog. No other compensation is accepted beyond review copies of books - ever. When I do write a review, or opinion, the source of the book cited will be disclosed in the post in which the review/opinon appears. If you have questions, please feel free to contact me.